1 FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement to a power lawn mower of the type having a rotating blade. More specifically, the improvement concerns an arrangement permanently carried aboard the mower enabling connection to a water supply for the purpose of cleaning the underside of the mower of plant cuttings.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Powered grass mowers have been widely used for many years to maintain lawns at a desired, uniform height. When lawns are cut, clippings and other plant matter tend to accumulate on the walls of the chamber enclosing the rotating blade of the mower. If neglected, the clippings and other matter will obstruct the flow path of air and clippings being discharged from the mower. Also, clippings retain moisture which will cause steel mower decks to rust over time and eventually fail.
One solution to the problem is to maintain the mower by removing clippings. Although this may be performed by manual effort, as by scraping clippings out from the underside of the mower deck with a suitable tool; this method has its drawbacks. The method requires patient attention to every location at which clippings accumulate. Also, in the case of larger mowers, as typified by riding mowers, the equipment is so large and heavy that it is difficult, time consuming, dirty, and perhaps even unsafe to lift a mower to gain necessary access.
Accordingly, the prior art has proposed cleaning the mower by introducing a stream of water onto the rotating blade. A suitable fitting is placed in a hole drilled in the mower deck, and a garden hose or like source of water is connected to the fitting. The water flowing from the hose is dispersed and driven under pressure by the rotating blade. This water removes the objectionable accumulation of clippings from the mower deck.
This approach is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,936,563, issued to Walter S. Blume on May 17, 1960; 2,984,061 and 2,992,524, issued to Roy E. Stabnau on May 16 and Jul. 18, 1961, respectively; 3,214,893, issued to William L. Griffin on Nov. 2, 1965; 5,027,590, issued to Max L. Stark on Jul. 2, 1991; and Canadian Pat. No. 625,488, dated Aug. 15, 1961.
Water flow is directed laterally, from a side wall of the blade chamber, in the devices of Blume, Stark and the Canadian patent.
In the patents to Stabnau and Griffin, and in the Canadian patent, incoming water is diffused or obstructed in various ways. Stabnau employs a water conduit having a plurality of discharge orifices formed therein. Griffin distributes water in manifolded fashion to a plurality of discharge heads located within the blade chamber. Each head has several discharge nozzles.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.